.
PSAs MEANT TO GET TO THE
POINT OF OPIOID ADDICTION.
A MINNESOTA NON-PROFIT AIMS TO
EDUCATE KIDS ON THE CRISIS WITH
THE NEW MESSAGES.
JOINING ME TONIGHT IS THE
FOUNDER OF THE NON-PROFIT,
CHANGE THE OUTCOME.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
WE START ON A SOMBER NOTE
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT
YOUR OWN HEART BREAK, THE
REASON YOU ARE PROPELLED INTO
THIS FIGHT, THE LOSS OF YOUR
SON, LUKE.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, INITIALLY IT WAS
ABOUT LUKE FOR ME AND AS THE
YEARS HAVE GONE BY IT HAS BEEN
FOUR YEARS NOW, A WEEK AGO, AND
IT IS ABOUT THE KIDS THAT -- IT
IS ABOUT ALL THE KIDS.
ABOUT THE KIDS WHO ARE
STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW.
KIDS WHO ARE SUFFERING.
ABOUT KIDS WHO DON'T HAVE GOOD
INFORMATION.
AND I THINK WE HAVE AN
OBLIGATION, YOU KNOW, I THINK
WE ARE FAILING OUR KIDS ON
CERTAIN LEVELS WHEN IT COMES TO
SUBSTANCE USE DISCORD AND THE
DISORDER.
THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE
ACROSS THE STATE AT THIS POINT.
YOU KNOW, IT IS AMAZING WHEN
IT STARTED.
I STARTED OUT WORKING WITH THE
FBI AND SAT ON SOME PANELS AND
AS THINGS GREW WE WERE ABLE TO
CREATE A MINNESOTA DOCUMENTARY,
WE HAVE BEEN ACROSS THE STATE
OF MINNESOTA IN THE LAST TWO
AND A HALF YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO REACH OVER 30,000
EDUCATORS AND MIDDLE AND HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS.
BUT THERE ARE 800,000 STUDENTS
IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA SO WE
ARE NOT REALLY MAKING A DENT
AND I THINK THE THING IS IT IS
INSPIRING FOR ME TO SEE HOW
MUCH KIDS ARE LEARNING AND AT
THE SAME TIME I DON'T THINK
THAT WE CAN GET INFORMATION
THAT IS, LIKE, REAL TIME OUT TO
YOUNG PEOPLE FAST ENOUGH.
I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS BEHIND THESE PSAs.
TELL US ABOUT THEM AND WHAT YOU
ARE HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH.
THEY ARE ALL AVAILABLE ON YOUR
WEBSITE AND CAN BE SHARED ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEY ARE MESSAGES YOU DON'T
THINK -- KIDS AREN'T LEARNING
ABOUT THIS IN SCHOOL.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, WE START OUT NOW
DOING SURVEYS BEFORE WE COME
INTO A CLASSROOM TO JUST
MEASURE WHAT STUDENTS KNOW.
MEASURE WHAT YOUNG ADULTS KNOW
ABOUT CERTAIN LIFE SAVING
THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO
THEM AND WE HAVE LEARNED THAT
ONLY 20% OF YOUNG ADULTS KNOW
ABOUT NARCAN, STEVE'S LAW, HOW
TO RECOGNIZE AN OVERDOSE AND
THINGS THAT COULD BE LIFE
SAVING.
TELL US ABOUT THIS, IT IS
EASY TO GET AND EASY TO USE.
VERY EASY TO USE.
THERE ARE NO HARMFUL SIDE
EFFECTS FROM USING NARCAN.
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT SOMEBODY
HAS OVERDOSED AND RIGHT NOW
THERE IS SO MUCH FENTANYL IN
MANY OF THE DRUGS, EVEN IF IT
IS COCAINE, METHAMPHETAMINE,
THAT NARCAN IS A WONDERFUL WAY,
IT IS CHANGING HOW THIS SENG
ROLLING OUT HERE IN MINNESOTA.
BUTS YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE 18-
YEARS-OLD TO CARRY IT.
YOU CAN GET IT AT MANY
PHARMACIES.
ALL THE MAJOR CHAINS HAVE IT.
YOU ASK THE PHARMACIST FOR IT.
YOU CAN'T HARM SOMEBODY BY
ADMINISTERING NARCAN IF THEY
ARE NOT HAVING AN OVERDOSE.
WHERE DO YOU THINK WE STAND
ON THIS FIGHT, YOU ARE IN TOUCH
WITH FIRST RESPONDERS, POLICE
DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE STATE,
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO
YOU THINK WE ARE DOING?
WE ARE MAKING HEAD WAY.
FOUR YEARS AGO I DIDN'T KNOW
NARCAN EXISTED AND NOW IT IS
VERY VISIBLY AVAILABLE.
PEOPLE ARE HEARING ABOUT IT.
BUT WE ARE MISSING A HUGE
SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION AND
WE ARE FIXING THINGS AND WE ARE
DOING LOVELY THINGS BUT WE ARE
MISSING THIS HUGE PART OF
EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE THAT CAN
PREVENT SO MANY DEATHS AND SO
MUCH, YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE DISEASE OF ADDICTION.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO TEACH KIDS
HOW TO SELF-ADVOCATE.
MORE WORK TO DO BUT THANK
YOU.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE IMPORTANT